Bilbao, San Sebastian and Haro: Our 3 day getaway to the Basque Country and La Rioja!

This was the structure right
in the middle of our hotel.
You can sign the rocks!!

For my birthday this year one of my best friends came to visit from Houston, Texas. Since she was going to be here for a whole week I thought we could make a little visit to somewhere neither of us had ever been. We wanted to make it to Morroco but we couldn't find any tickets to fit our schedule so we decided to go to the Basque Country for 3 days. We tried to fit as much as we could in those days and I think we did pretty good.

We arrived in Bilbao on Sunday afternoon and immediately started our adventure. We had rented a car so we went to get it. We got a too good to be true rate online and it was definitely too good to be true because as soon as I turned on the car and was ready to go I realized it was a stick!!! I don't know how to drive a stick!!! Good thing my friend Miriam knew how to because we would've wasted our afternoon looking for an automatic car. All cars at Goldcar, where we rented, were sticks. I heard later that barely any car rentals had automatics so be careful when renting a car here. Anyways, we went to the Silken Gran Hotel Domine, where we had booked, and went straight to the famous Guggenheim museum, right across from our hotel. There were some interesting pieces of art and there were some that were too artistry for my taste. I guess I don't get all that ultra modern art. I mean, one of the pieces was a video of a blindfolded guy who was standing against a wall while a person threw what looked like ping pong balls at him. The whole video was him trying to avoid being hit. I'm sure it may have some deep meaning I'm too ignorant to even try to understand or maybe NOT! I guess I'm more of a traditional pop art fan!

Guggenheim Museum (left)

We didn't get to spend too much time in Bilbao because we were in the museum for a long time. So by the time we went out it was already dark and we didn't see a lot of the city. It did seem very industrial and spread out. Actually I think the government is trying to turn Bilbao into a more tourist oriented city.  As for our hotel I think it was way overrated. If I go back I will definitely stay at a different hotel. I mean it wasn't bad it was just that it didn't measure up compared to where we stayed in Madrid and other places here in Spain. 

So the next morning we immediately headed to San Sebastian. As soon as we got there I fell in love. San Sebastian or Donostia is located in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from France. It has an amazing and beautiful coastline. What I loved about it is that even though it's quite big it is very pedestrian oriented and you can walk all around the coastline and the city without getting in the car.  We walked all around the boardwalk and ended up in the cutest little restaurant in the harbor. We ate the most amazing monkfish or "rape", how they call it here in Spain, at La Rampa. I swear that the taste and texture were very similar to eating lobster. Yummy!!

After our lunch we headed to the old city. It is filled with lots of bars where you go for drinks and "pintxos". "Pintxos" are very fancy snacks typically eaten in bars. I mean they're fancy but not in a gourmet style more in how elaborate and cute they are. I've posted a picture so you see. :). Besides the bars and "pintxos" I loved all the boutique type stores they had. We found some pretty unique pieces and brands. By the time we were done walking the old city we had to head back to our hotel in Bilbao, which was one hour away. I was sad to leave San Sebastian but I know I will be back for sure because I loved it and instantly became one of my favorite cities. And can i add how amazingly NICE people are here!! Everyone was absolutely kind. It reminded me of the people in Sevilla. Lovely just lovely!!

Next morning we were headed to La Rioja. A friend who I met thru one of my best friends recently moved to Haro to be close to her fiancé. I called her so we could meet, catch up and visit her fiancé's family vineyard and wine cellar. By 10 AM we were in Haro. It is a very small rural city. You can see the whole thing in 30 minutes. What's cool about it is that as soon as you get there all you see are wine cellars after wine cellars. Famous ones too!

By 11 AM we were at Bodegas Muga, one of the few family owned BIG wine companies in Spain. I can't say enough of how amazing was our experience there. We were personally taken care of by Isaac Muga, one of the owners and my friend's fiancé. He was JUST AMAZING and was so nice and generous. He explained us every single detail of wine making and even treated us to try the special "cava" they're serving at their wedding. It was sooo good and refreshing! 

After seeing all the complex wine making process we were invited to lunch in a cute dining room they have there. He made sure we tried typical plates from the region and all their wines. At one point I had four glasses of wine and a glass of "cava" in front of me and I wasn't complaining. It is definitely something really fun to do with friends. Me and Miriam were trying to see if we could learn the flavors enough to identify them without seeing the bottle. Hey it's not that easy when you've had like 5 glasses of wine! And it was definitely nice to catch up with Alexandra who I hadn't seen for a while. Oh and let me not forget how AMAZING was the gift we got from Isaac and her. He treated us to the cutest wine luggage filled with some of their best wines and a super warm and soft scarf. If you are ever in La Rioja be sure to visit Bodegas Muga. You definitely won't regret it. If you don't make it this far but are in the hunt for a good red wine I suggest you grab a bottle of Muga Selección Especial, their best seller and with good reason. Here are some pics with Ale (blonde) and Isaac (I don't think I need to tell you which one he is.LOL).

Well a few glasses of wine later we were taking a plane to head to Santiago de Compostela with our wines and the memories of an amazing bonding getaway trip. :)